Problem gambling: Reaction slow to growing concern

The council's statewide help line received 3,868 calls in 2005,
according to the report. That was more than double the 1,751 calls
it received in 1999, before voters legalized gambling at Indian
casinos. People who said they preferred gambling at Indian casinos
accounted for about 70 percent of the calls in 2005, according to
the report.

Nearly 6 percent of the callers said they preferred card rooms,
5.3 percent said they preferred Nevada casinos and 5 percent said
they preferred gambling via the Internet.

Bruce Roberts, the council's executive director, said the number
of callers may be just the tip of a very large iceberg. His
organization estimates there are about 1.5 million problem gamblers
in California. But there are no recent studies to give those
concerned about the problem an accurate read on the statewide
picture.

What is clear is that the gambling industry is growing by leaps
and bounds in the state, which probably means the number of problem
gamblers is also growing, researchers say.

In 2004, the industry generated about $13 billion in California,
according to a report released by the state attorney general's
office in May. That includes Indian casinos, the state lottery,
Internet gambling, card clubs, horse racetracks and bingo.

Revenue at Indian casinos grew by about 24 percent from $5.8
billion in 2004 to $7.2 billion in 2005, according to an Indian
gaming industry report by Los Angeles-based economist Alan
Meister.

A slow-moving glacier

In North County, four major casinos and a small slot arcade have
opened since 2001. The Pechanga tribe near Temecula opened a modest
casino in 1995. It blossomed into one of the largest casinos in the
state with the opening of its $262 million facility in 2002.

The proximity of local casinos to large urban centers in San
Diego, Los Angeles and Riverside counties has been a major reason
for their success, gambling analysts say. But their success means
that the casinos may have contributed to a growing number of people
addicted to the lure of 24-hour gambling.

One-third of the calls that the council's help line received in
2005 came from telephone area codes that originate in San Diego and
Riverside counties, according to report figures.

Legalizing gambling in California "changed the accessibility and
acceptability of gambling, because it's legal," Graupner Pike, the
Vista psychologist, said. Before the prevalence of Indian casinos
in California, "you couldn't go to Las Vegas three times a
week."

Since legalizing gambling, the state has done little to address
gambling addiction.

Each year, tribes contribute annually to a special distribution
fund that is supposed to, among other things, pay for problem
gambling programs. Thus far, the state has distributed about $105
million from the fund, but only a fraction has paid for programs
addressing gambling addiction.

Out of the $17.5 million that San Diego County has received,
only $50,000 was set aside to train counselors.

At the state level, the office of Problem and Pathological
Gambling, established eight years ago, has received $6 million
since 2003. Of that, $3 million went unspent and had to be returned
to the state.